Inside the NNS newsroom: We are hiring a criminal justice reporter

If you care passionately about informing readers about how the criminal justice system impacts communities of color, then the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service wants to hear from you.

We seek a reporter dedicated to rigorous, evidence-based reporting as we attempt to cover the complexities of the criminal justice system and the calls for reform while centering our stories on the people most affected: Those who have been incarcerated, their families and the community as a whole.

Milwaukee, in particular, deserves an outlet that comprehensively covers these topics because the city has the third-highest rate of Black incarceration in state prisons among the 50 largest metro areas in the country—a rate that is 10 times the white rate, according to a report by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In a study on “Wisconsin’s Mass Incarceration of African American Males,” another group of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researchers found that the state of Wisconsin had incarcerated over half of the young Black men from Milwaukee County in state correctional facilities and that thousands of men from central city Milwaukee neighborhoods had state prison records.

Our criminal justice reporter will be tasked with finding solutions and keeping the community aware of the issues by abiding by our three-fold mission to:

1.  Celebrate the ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
2.  Educate the community about resources available that they may be unaware of.
3.  illuminate, or shine a light on issues that need to be uncovered by acting as a fierce journalistic watchdog for our readers.

The issues we want to specifically focus on include:

•         What the closing of the state’s two youth prisons will mean for our community.

•         How re-entry programs are serving those who have been incarcerated.

•         The employment and educational opportunities for those who have experience in the justice system.

•         How has the expansion of electronic monitoring reshaped the carceral landscape for youths throughout Milwaukee County? (Building on a research project by our colleagues throughout Marquette University).  

What we are looking for

This job requires curiosity, creativity and tenacity. We seek reporters who have initiative, resolve and the willingness to dig deep into their stories while simultaneously centering the voices of communities of color. We are not looking for stenographers who summarize meetings or rewrite news releases. Instead, we seek someone who can connect the dots and deliver insightful stories that leave our readers better informed.

You’re a good fit if:

1. You have a demonstrated commitment to the use of investigative journalism and live to develop and execute sustained, powerful stories that spur reform.

2. You are organized and can handle multiple projects under tight deadlines.

3. You have a collaborative spirit and want to work with a team to give central city Milwaukee residents the journalism they want, need and deserve. You believe that we are all stronger together.

4. You believe that legacy models for local media’s business and journalism are broken and that new approaches are needed to serve the public and our democracy.

5. You have sharp news judgment and have a record of detailed reporting and powerful storytelling.

6. You are obsessed with accuracy and transparency.

7. You have adept interviewing skills: This reporter will need to talk to high-level officials, those who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated and neighborhood residents.

8. You have some proficiency – or at least interest – in working with data and public records.

9. You will be dedicated to broader team goals. Our team collaborates on many levels, from producing strong visuals and developing promotion plans for our stories to evaluating audience engagement and hosting events.

 Audio or video reporting skills are a plus.